Patriarch and Catholicos spar over control of Malankara Church in Kerala

Patriarch and Catholicos spar over control of Malankara Church in Kerala

Who is the supreme head of the 1.6 million strong Malankara Church in Kerala? The answer appears nowhere in sight in spite of the recent verdict of the Kerala High Court Judge T. Chandrasekhar Menon, in favour of the Damascus-based Patriarch of Antioch.

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Amarnath K Menon

January 17, 2014

ISSUE DATE: July 31, 1980

UPDATED: December 3, 2014 17:17 IST

The late Yacub (left) and Mathews

Who is the supreme head of the 1.6 million strong Malankara Church in Kerala? The answer appears nowhere in sight in spite of the recent verdict of the Kerala High Court Judge T. Chandrasekhar Menon, in favour of the Damascus-based Patriarch of Antioch. The other claimant to the throne, the head of this church in India, known as the Catholicos, Mar Thomas Mathews was quick to react to the verdict: "Truth crucified on Friday will resurrect on Sunday. This is not the final judgement. Truth will ultimately triumph."

For over a century now, factions supporting the Patriarch and Catholicos of this orthodox wing of the Malankara Church - one of the major sects of the Syrian Christians which claim to have been founded in the first century A.D. by St. Thomas - have been battling over the supremacy issue in courts, churches, and even on the streets. What is really at stake is more than just the ecclesiastic issues like the roles of the Patriarch and the Catholicos. The influential laity on both sides are keen on controlling the churches and parishes that administer colleges, schools, hospitals and technical training institutes.The Verdict: Judge Menon rejected the Catholicos claim that the Malankara Church is episcopal in character and not a union of churches. "It is episcopal to a limit in the spiritual sphere and in temporal affairs it is congregational," he said. He ruled that the properties of the diocese and 1,064 churches are to be administered and governed according to the constitution passed by the respective parishioners.

He hoped the verdict would "at least indicate the road for the end of the long drawn out litigation in the community." Both factions vehemently rule out a compromise or an amicable solution. Moderates on both sides suggest separation if reunion is not possible, but diehards are not prepared to give in. Both are determined to appeal against the verdict.

The Kerala government appointed a special court in January 1977 to look into the matter. Successive judges of the special court and the factions concurred on eight representative cases in which 23 witnesses took almost two years - from July 6, 1977 to April 5, 1979 - to give evidence that was recorded on 4,083 pages of the judges' handwriting. After a Supreme Court directive on two appeals by the Catholicos that justice could not be expected from the special court, Judge Menon heard further arguments from November 5, 1979 to March 17, 1980.

Skirmishes: A new twist to the dispute emerged with the death of the Patriarch of Antioch H.H. Moran Mar Ignatius Yacub III in Damascus on June 26. Some church leaders hoped that the new Patriarch would bring in a fresh approach to end the deadlock. But that was not to be. A moderate Catholicos faction leader says: "Such hopes are aired as a cover up to the inflamed passions among laymen. It is better for us to split with dignity."

Passions continue to run high with skirmishes inside the churches, and police pickets standing guard during prayers. Some church leaders visit courts regularly to obtain extension of police protection for the peaceful conduct of services.

Yet both factions are reluctant to talk about the theological differences to outsiders but furtively admit that the differences about the origin of the church arise from the conflict for control of church power. The Catholicos faction claims that St Thomas established the throne in Malankara. The controversy regarding the throne, however, is irrelevant and Judge Menon rejected the St Thomas theory for want of historical evidence about his founding the Malankara Church in Kerala in A.D. 51-52.

The Catholicos faction observed July 6 as "mission and church development day" to collect about Rs 6 lakh for opening employment training centres, technical institutions. orphanages, and homes. Similarly the Patriarch faction awaits the pronouncements of their new leader to chart out their game plans.

As Judge Menon intoned: "A happy ending of the deep factional war within the church could only be arrived at satisfactorily to all by a settlement out of court among the parties themselves." But as one exasperated clergyman says: "Even an evening's meeting to mark the centennial of litigation is not possible, for worldly considerations seem to matter more than true Christian faith."

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